On Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 8:02 AM, Juan Miscaro <jmisc...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Was wondering what advantages OpenBSD has over a progressive Linux > distribution such as Ubuntu (Server edition). One thing I noticed is > that they're having a hell of a time transitioning away from the > traditional sysvinit-based system to the Upstart event-based init > daemon system. With such a broad, flamebaity question, you're bound to get some--interesting responses. But here's my take: Mostly I'd say that the advantage OpenBSD has over Ubuntu--or any Linux, actually--is that in my (admittedly limited) experience, stuff in OpenBSD doesn't get shipped until it *works*, and they don't throw the baby out with the bathwater just for the heck of it, or because they get bored. How many audio thingamabobs does Linux have now? And that, in my view, seems to be indicative of the whole Linux philosophy. Especially with a server, what you're after is *stability* not extraneous bells and whistles. Also, the OpenBSD documentation is *excellent*--if you don't know how to do something, you can find out. There's at least one Linux distribution (Crux) which at least used to actively remove documentation from its packages. The last time I used Ubuntu it wasn't much better--online user forums can be helpful, but they are not, and cannot be, a substitute for having good documentation in the first place. Pretty much all that is good in OpenBSD flows from those two things, I think.
